JP2011100445A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fixing method for a card-like external expansion device so as to prevent a failure due to an impact when the card-like external expansion device is used while the card-like external expansion device projects from a casing of an information processor. <P>SOLUTION: The information processor includes, in the casing 31, an optical disk device 40 including: a turntable 41 rotatably supporting an optical disk; an optical pickup 42 recording and/or reproducing an information signal into/from the optical disk; and a movement mechanism 43 moving the optical pickup in a radial direction of the optical disk. An area where the optical disk device is fixed on a casing inner face has a level difference part 37 extended to a predetermined direction Ls. The optical disk device is fixed to the area of the casing inner face at three parts 46A, 46B, 46C disposed across the level difference part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention, for example, an information processing apparatus such as a notebook personal computer (hereinafter, abbreviated as “notebook personal computer”), in particular, an optical disk device or a card-like external expansion device is detachably mounted. The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus including a mounting unit.

  As is well known, for example, information processing apparatuses such as notebook personal computers have built-in optical disk devices. As a structure in which the optical disk device is built in the information processing device, a structure in which the optical disk device is fixed to the inner surface of the bottom of the housing of the information processing device is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  As is well known, for example, an information processing apparatus such as a notebook personal computer is known that includes a mounting portion for detachably mounting an external expansion device. The external expansion device can be used to easily add an expansion function from the outside to the information processing device by, for example, inserting a card-like device from the outside to improve the function of the system. It is a thing.

  For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a box-shaped housing having a pack housing portion formed by a recess opened on an outer surface, and a pack-like device packaged as an independent module, the pack housing portion including On the other hand, there is disclosed a portable electronic device including a pack-like device that is detachably mounted and constitutes a part of an outer surface of a housing. A CD-ROM drive device or a floppy disk device is incorporated in the pack-like device according to the package, and these pack-like devices are exchanged and used as necessary.

  When the information processing apparatus is equipped with a mounting portion for detachably mounting the card-shaped external expansion device, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, the card-shaped external device is mounted on a substrate 91 incorporated in the housing of the information processing apparatus. It is conceivable to fix the card slot 92 of the expansion device mounting portion. In the example of FIG. 14, a pair of fixing protrusions 93 is provided on the side of the card slot 92, and the protrusions 93 are fastened and fixed onto the substrate 91 by the screw members 94, whereby the card slot 92 is fixed to the substrate 91. Fixed against.

  By the way, as a card-like external expansion device, for example, a so-called PC card formulated by PCMIA (Personal Computer Memory Card Interface Association) is known. The PC card has a memory card with a built-in semiconductor memory capable of writing and reading various information, a function as an adapter for a memory card smaller than the PC card, and a transmitting means and a receiving means capable of transmitting and receiving information wirelessly. There are built-in expansion cards.

  Such a card-like external expansion device is inserted and mounted in a card slot of an information processing device such as a notebook personal computer, and is widely applied, for example, as personal authentication or a communication modem. When the card-like external expansion device is inserted into the information processing apparatus, the entire card-like external expansion device is inserted into the card slot, so that the capacity of the external expansion device is limited or wireless communication is performed. Recently, a part of a card-like external expansion device (for example, a module module for communication with the outside) is mounted in a state protruding from the side surface of the information processing device casing. There is something that was made to be used.

JP 2000-105629 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-133776

  In this way, when the card-like external expansion device is used in a state of protruding from the housing of the information processing device, when an impact force is applied from the side to the protruding card-like external expansion device, the card in the configuration shown in FIG. All of the impact force input to the card slot 92 via the external expansion device is applied to the card slot 92 and its fixing portion 93 to the board 91. Therefore, the card slot 92 itself may be deformed or damaged. Further, since the card slot 92 is generally fixed to the substrate 91 that is not so strong, the fixing portion 93 may also be deformed or damaged.

  Also, the optical disk apparatus described above generally has a turntable that rotatably supports the optical disk, an optical pickup that records and / or reproduces information signals on the optical disk, and moves the optical pickup in the radial direction of the optical disk. In order to maintain the operation accuracy of each part including the optical axis accuracy and movement accuracy of the optical pickup and to exert its functions without hindrance, it is necessary to keep the optical disk device in a stable and fixed state. is there.

  On the other hand, in recent years, there has been a demand for further reduction in weight and thickness of information processing devices such as notebook computers, and as a part of meeting such demand, the bottom wall of the housing has been further thinned, and the bottom wall In particular, the rigidity of the flat part tends to decrease.

  However, conventionally, the optical disk device is often fixed to a flat area on the inner surface of the bottom of the casing of the information processing apparatus, and the flat surface on which the optical disk device is fixed as the bottom wall becomes thinner. It is hard to say that the rigidity of the region itself is sufficiently secured. In other words, when an external force is applied to the bottom of the housing, the flat area where the optical disk device is fixed is relatively easy to deform because it tends to lack rigidity, including the optical axis accuracy and movement accuracy of the optical pickup. There may be a case where it is disadvantageous to maintain the required operation accuracy of the optical disk device.

  Therefore, the present invention increases the rigidity of the area where the optical disk device on the inner surface of the housing is fixed in an information processing apparatus incorporating the optical disk device, so that the optical disk device can be used as much as possible even when an external force is applied to the area on the inner surface of the housing. The basic purpose is to be able to maintain a stable and fixed state. A further object of the present invention is to provide a shock to the mounting portion from the side via the card-like external expansion device when the information processing device includes a mounting portion for detachably mounting the card-like external expansion device. Even when a force is applied, it is possible to suppress the deformation and occurrence of damage to the card slot of the mounting portion and its fixing portion.

  For this reason, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a turntable that rotatably supports an optical disc, an optical pickup that records and / or reproduces an information signal with respect to the optical disc, and the optical pickup in the radial direction of the optical disc. An information processing apparatus provided with an optical disk device having a moving mechanism for moving inside a housing, wherein a stepped portion extending in a predetermined direction is formed in a region of the inner surface of the housing where the optical disk device is fixed The optical disc apparatus is characterized in that it is fixed to the region on the inner surface of the housing at three positions arranged across the stepped portion.

  According to the present invention, a step portion extending in a predetermined direction is formed in a region where the optical disk device on the inner surface of the housing is fixed, thereby improving the rigidity of the region on the inner surface of the housing against the action of an external force. Can be made. In addition, since the optical disk device is fixed to the region on the inner surface of the housing at three positions arranged across the stepped portion, the optical disk device is more stable even when an external force is applied to the region on the inner surface of the housing. Can be kept in a fixed state. As a result, it is possible to contribute to maintaining the required operation accuracy of the optical disk device including the optical axis accuracy and movement accuracy of the optical pickup.

The whole perspective view which shows the usable state of the notebook computer concerning an embodiment Overall perspective view showing the notebook PC not in use Top view of the notebook computer when not in use Side view of the notebook computer when not in use Bottom view of the notebook computer when not in use The perspective view which shows the internal structure of the 2nd housing | casing of the said notebook personal computer. The perspective view which shows the bottom part inner surface of the said 2nd housing | casing. Sectional drawing along line Y8-Y8 in FIG. The top view which shows the principal part of the optical disk apparatus of the said notebook personal computer The perspective view which shows the internal structure of the PC card mounting part of the said notebook personal computer The bottom view which expands and shows the said PC card mounting part Sectional drawing along line Y12-Y12 in FIG. The side view of the 2nd housing | casing which expands and shows the slot opening of the said PC card mounting part The perspective view which shows an example of the fixed state of the mounting part of the conventional card-shaped external expansion apparatus

The information processing apparatus according to the present invention can take the following aspects based on the above-described configuration.
That is, in the information processing apparatus, it is preferable that the extending direction of the stepped portion intersects the moving direction of the optical pickup.

  In this configuration, since the extending direction of the stepped portion intersects the moving direction of the optical pickup, a bending load centered on the extending direction of the stepped portion is applied to the inner surface of the housing to which the optical disk device is fixed. Even in this case, the influence on the accuracy of the movement operation of the optical pickup can be reduced as compared with the case where the extending direction of the stepped portion is parallel to the movement direction of the optical pickup.

  In the above case, it is preferable that the standby position of the optical pickup is set at a stepped up portion by the stepped portion.

  Input of an external load due to the fall of the information processing device is overwhelmingly more likely in the non-operating state (that is, the state where the optical pickup is in the standby position) than in the operating state. A step that is separated from the housing itself by the height of the stepped portion, which is more likely to receive an external load due to equipment dropping, etc., and that the stepped portion is provided to increase rigidity. Since the standby position of the optical pickup is set at the part, even when the information processing device receives an external load due to dropping or the like in a non-operating state, the optical pickup and its moving operation accuracy are effectively affected. Can be reduced. The effect of improving the rigidity by providing the stepped portion is particularly large as it is closer to the stepped portion (by the corner portion) in the raised portion, and more preferably, the standby position of the optical pickup is closer to the stepped portion (by the corner portion). As the setting is made, the adverse effect of the external load input to the information processing apparatus due to dropping or the like on the accuracy of the optical pickup and its moving operation can be reduced more effectively.

  Furthermore, in the above case, it is preferable that the spindle motor that rotationally drives the turntable is fixed to a stepped-up portion by the step portion.

  The spindle motor is the heaviest among the main components of the optical disk apparatus. When the optical disk apparatus receives an external load due to, for example, the fall of the information processing apparatus, the spindle motor receives the external load. However, in this configuration, the height of the stepped portion from the housing itself, which is more likely to receive an external load directly due to the fall of the information processing device, etc. The rigidity of the spindle motor is increased by providing a stepped portion. When the spindle motor is fixed to the raised portion, the spindle motor receives an external load due to the fall of the information processing device. The adverse effect on the operation of the optical disc apparatus can be effectively reduced. The effect of improving the rigidity by providing the stepped portion is particularly greater as it is closer to the stepped portion (by the corner portion) in the raised portion. More preferably, the fixing position of the spindle motor is closer to the stepped portion (by the corner portion). As the setting is made, the adverse effect on the operation of the optical disk apparatus when the information processing apparatus falls can be more effectively reduced.

  Furthermore, in the above case, another stepped portion extending in a direction substantially parallel to the stepped portion is formed on the inner surface of the casing, and formed by raising the inner surface of the casing by both stepped portions. A mounting portion for detachably mounting a card-like external expansion device may be provided in a recess on the outer surface of the housing.

  In this configuration, the mounting portion for detachably mounting the card-like external expansion device by effectively using the recess on the outer surface of the housing formed by raising the inner surface of the housing by providing both the step portions. And can contribute to the downsizing of the information processing apparatus. In other words, the rigidity of the inner surface of the housing can be improved by using the step formed by providing the mounting portion.

  In this case, preferably, the recess has an opening on a side surface of the housing, and has a thickness capable of accommodating a card slot into which the external expansion device is inserted, and the card slot is attached to the card slot. The left and right outer surfaces corresponding to the left and right sides of the card-like external expansion device are fixed in the recess in a state of being accommodated in the recess so as to be close to at least a part of the vertical wall of the recess. .

  According to this configuration, the card slot of the mounting portion has a back surface in which the left and right outer surfaces corresponding to the left and right side portions of the mounted card-like external expansion device are continuous with the side surface provided with the mounting portion of the housing. In the state of being accommodated in the recess so as to be close to at least a part of the vertical wall of the recess formed in a part of the recess, it is fixed to the recess. Therefore, when the card-like external expansion device is used in a state of protruding from the housing of the information processing device, even if an impact force is applied from the side to the card-like external expansion device protruding from the housing, the impact force is If it is larger than a certain level, it is handled not only by the card slot and its fixing part but also by the vertical wall of the recess close to the left and right outer surfaces of the card slot. As a result, it is possible to effectively suppress deformation and damage of the card slot and its fixing portion compared to the conventional case where all the impact force input to the card slot is applied to the card slot and its fixing portion. . In addition, since the card slot is fixed in the recess that constitutes a part of the housing of the information processing apparatus, the fixing strength is increased as compared with the conventional case where the card slot is fixed to a substrate that is not so high. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively suppress deformation and damage generation of the fixing portion.

  In this case, it is preferable that the back side of the card slot has a shutter for the slot opening for attaching / detaching the card-like external expansion device corresponding to the opening to the side surface of the housing of the recess and the mounting portion. The cover body which covers the back side of this is arrange | positioned, and this cover body is also fixed to the said recess.

  In this configuration, since the cover body having the shutter of the slot opening for attaching and detaching the card-like external expansion device is also fixed to the recess constituting a part of the housing, the card-like external expansion device protruding from the housing When an impact force is applied from the side, deformation and occurrence of damage can also be suppressed in the slot opening for attaching / detaching the shutter portion. Further, the card slot of the mounting portion is fixed to the recess that constitutes a part of the housing, and the back side is also covered with the cover body that is fixed to the recess. Can be increased.

(Embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, taking a so-called notebook computer as an example.
In the following description, terms meaning a specific direction (for example, “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, and other terms including them, “clockwise direction”, “counterclockwise” ”) Is used to facilitate understanding of the invention with reference to the drawings, and the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner by the meaning of these terms. Absent.

  1 and 2 are perspective views showing a usable state (open state) and a non-use state (closed state) of the notebook computer according to the present embodiment, respectively. FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are a plan view, a side view and a bottom view of the notebook personal computer when not in use.

  As shown in these drawings, a notebook personal computer W as an information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment has, for example, a display unit 10 having a display screen 12 of a liquid crystal type and a display signal input to the display unit 10. And an operation control unit 30 that can be generated. The operation control unit 30 includes an input device 32 such as a keyboard, a signal processing circuit that generates a display signal to be output to the display unit based on an input operation by the input device 32, a central processing unit (so-called CPU), These peripheral parts (all not shown) are included.

Further, a touch pad 33 is provided on the front side of the keyboard 32 when viewed from the user when the user (user) operates the notebook computer W, and the user traces the touch pad 33 in the vertical and horizontal directions. Only the cursor can be moved, the display screen 12 can be scrolled, and the like.
In this embodiment, a lid (lid member) 34 that can be opened and closed in the vertical direction is disposed on the side of the touch pad 33 (on the right side in FIG. 1), and an optical disk that will be described in detail later below the lid 34. The device 40 is built in.

The display unit 10 is housed in a display unit side housing 11 (first housing), and the periphery and back surface thereof are covered, while the control operation unit 30 includes an operation control unit side housing 31 (first housing). The two casings 11 and 31 are coupled to each other by the hinge mechanism 20 so as to be opened and closed.
More specifically, both the first housing 11 and the second housing 31 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape as a whole in plan view, and the sides 11r and 31r side (that is, the user takes note By connecting the rear side (as viewed from the user of the notebook personal computer W in the operating state of the personal computer W) via the hinge mechanism 20, the two casings are centered on the hinge shaft 21 (see FIG. 4). A relative opening and closing operation can be performed. In the present specification, the “rectangular shape” includes a case of “square” as one form thereof.

  The notebook personal computer W can be driven, for example, by power feeding from a rechargeable battery (battery), and as shown in FIG. A battery pack 50 that is unitized is detachably mounted.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a PC card mounting portion 60 for detachably mounting a so-called PC card as a card-like external expansion device is provided at a substantially intermediate bottom portion in the front-rear direction of the notebook personal computer W. The outer side (lower side) of the mounting portion 60 is covered with, for example, a resin cover body 70. A shutter 71 that opens and closes the slot opening of the PC card mounting portion 60 is disposed on a side surface (right side surface in FIG. 5) 31 s of the second housing 31. The structure of the PC card mounting portion 60 will be described later.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the second housing 31 of the notebook computer W with the upper surface portion including the lid 34 removed. As shown in this figure, below the lid 34, an optical disc apparatus (optical disc drive) for performing at least one of reproduction of an information signal recorded on an optical disc (not shown) and recording of an information signal onto the optical disc. ) 40 is built in.

  The optical disk device 40 has, as basic components, a turntable 41 having a chuck portion 41c for gripping the optical disk from the inner diameter side and rotatably supporting the optical disk, and recording and / or recording of information signals on the optical disk. An optical pickup 42 that performs reproduction and a moving mechanism 43 that moves the optical pickup 42 in the radial direction Lp of the optical disk are provided, and these main components are all supported on a base plate 45. A spindle motor 44 that rotationally drives the turntable 41 is located on the lower surface side of the base plate 45. The optical pickup 42 is moved by the moving mechanism 43 in the radial direction Lp of the optical disc along a pair of guide rails 43g (see FIG. 9 described later). The optical disk device 40 has the same configuration as the conventionally known one and has the same function, and therefore, detailed description and illustration thereof will be omitted.

The base plate 45 of the optical disc apparatus 40 is a fixing member 46A, 46B, 46C, which is positioned so as to form a triangular apex, using screw members 47A, 47B, 47C, respectively, and a second casing. The bottom wall 35 of the 31 is fastened and fixed.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the inner surface of the bottom wall 35 of the second housing 31. As shown in this figure, on the inner surface of the bottom wall 35, fixing boss portions 36A, 36B, and 36C are provided at portions corresponding to the three fixing portions 46A, 46B, and 46C of the base plate 45 of the optical disc device 40, respectively. Standing integrally with the bottom wall 35.

  Each fixing boss portion 36A, 36B, 36C is formed with a female screw that is screwed to the male screw of the screw member 47A, 47B, 47C, and the fixing portion 46A, 46B, The base plate 45 of the optical disc device 40 is attached to the second casing 31 by inserting 46C into the fixing boss portions 36A, 36B, 36C of the bottom wall 35 and then screwing and tightening the screw members 47A, 47B, 47C. The bottom wall 35 is fastened and fixed. A cushioning material such as a vibration-proof rubber may be appropriately interposed between the fixing portions 46A, 46B, and 46C and the fixing boss portions 36A, 36B, and 36C. By interposing this buffer material, the vibration of the spindle motor 44 that rotates the turntable 41 of the optical disc apparatus 40 can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, as described above (see FIG. 1), in the operation state in which the user operates the notebook computer W, the side of the touch pad 33 is located on the front side of the keyboard 32 as viewed from the user (that is, the second housing). A lid 34 that can be opened and closed in the vertical direction is disposed on a so-called hand rest portion of the body 31, and an optical disk device 40 is disposed below the lid 34.
In this type of optical disk device 40, as can be seen from FIG. 9, the turntable 41 that is rotationally driven by the spindle motor 44 moves, as seen in, for example, a portable audio player and a portable digital video disk player. Instead, only the optical pickup 42 moves along the guide rail 43g of the moving mechanism 43 in accordance with the recording / reproduction of the optical disk placed on the turntable 41.

That is, when the lid 34 is opened and the optical disk is placed on the turntable 41 and then closed, the optical pickup 42 moves from the standby position shown in FIG. 9 to a desired position as the turntable 41 rotates. It moves and starts emitting laser light from the objective lens 42a. The optical pickup 42 radiating the laser beam reads information on the innermost circumference of the optical disk placed on the turntable 41 and grasps the type of the disk.
In the present embodiment, the standby position of the optical pickup 42 is set to a position corresponding to the innermost circumference of the optical disk placed on the turntable 41 as shown in FIG.

  The heaviest component among the main components of the optical disc apparatus 40 is a spindle motor 44 that rotates the turntable 41, and has received disturbance (input from the outside) due to, for example, dropping of the notebook personal computer W. In some cases, the spindle motor 44 receives an impact load, which causes a serious adverse effect on the operation of the optical disc apparatus 40. Therefore, it is important to increase the resistance against the impact load applied to the spindle motor 44 when receiving such disturbance.

  Further, the optical pickup 42 is always stationary at the standby position when the optical disk device 40 is not in operation (non-operating state), such as when the notebook personal computer W is carried. The notebook computer W is more likely to fall in the non-operating state than in the operating state. Therefore, it is important to suppress as much as possible the adverse effect on the optical pickup 42 at the standby position when the notebook personal computer W falls.

  In the present embodiment, a stepped portion (front stepped portion) 37 extending in a direction Ls that is substantially parallel to the rear side 31r of the second housing 31 and substantially perpendicular to the side surface 31s is formed on the bottom wall 35 of the second housing 31. ing. The stepped portion 37 extends so as to cross a region where the base plate 45 of the optical disc apparatus 40 is fixed. By providing such a stepped portion 37, the rigidity of the region where the optical disk device 40 is fixed can be increased. More preferably, the extending direction Ls of the stepped portion 37 intersects the moving direction Lp of the optical pickup 42 of the optical disk device 40 at a certain angle (approximately 45 ° in the present embodiment) (FIG. 6). reference).

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y8-Y8 in FIG. 7 and shows a vertical cross-sectional structure of the bottom wall 35 of the second housing 31. As can be clearly seen from this figure, the front side stepped portion 37 is formed by being raised by a predetermined amount so as to rise from the front to the rear of the bottom wall 35. Further, a rear stepped portion 38 formed by being lowered by a predetermined amount so as to fall from the front of the bottom wall 35 toward the rear is provided behind the front stepped portion 37 by a predetermined distance. Is provided in a direction opposite to the inclination constituting the. A raised portion 35 s of the bottom wall 35 formed between the front step portion 37 and the rear step portion 38 forms a plane on which the base plate 45 of the optical disc apparatus 40 is placed. The base plate 45 is configured in parallel with the optical disk mounting surface of the turntable 41. Reference numeral 49 denotes a flexible circuit board.
As described above, the stepped portion 35s formed between the front step portion 37 and the rear step portion 38 has a considerably smaller area than the entire area of the bottom wall portion 35 of the second housing 31. The rigidity improvement effect by the front side step part 37 and the rear side step part 38 is remarkable.

  Therefore, a recess having a predetermined width and depth is recessed between the front step portion 37 and the rear step portion 38 from the outer side (lower side in FIG. 8) to the inner side (upper side in FIG. 8) of the bottom wall 35. A place 39 is formed. The PC card mounting portion 60 is provided in the recess 39. The recess 39 includes a bottom wall 39b and a pair of front and rear vertical walls 39w located at end portions in the front-rear direction of the bottom wall 39b. The vertical walls 39w correspond to the step portions 37 and 38 described above. is doing.

  More specifically, the exclusive area occupied by the optical disk device 40 in the bottom wall portion 35 of the second housing 31 is much larger than the exclusive area of the PC card mounting portion 60. Since the PC card mounting portion 60 is disposed on the back surface of the optical disc device 40 with the bottom wall portion 35 interposed therebetween, there is always a boundary portion due to the difference in the occupied area. The front side step portion 37 and the rear side step portion 38 described above correspond to this boundary portion. These boundary portions (the front step portion 37 and the rear step portion 38) extend on the bottom wall 35 from the side surface 31s of the second housing 31 in the orthogonal direction.

  In the present embodiment, in order to keep the optical disk device 40 in a more stable fixed state, the fixing boss portions 36A, 36A, 46B, 46C corresponding to the three fixing portions 46A, 46B, 46C of the base plate 45 of the optical disk device 40, respectively. 36 </ b> B and 36 </ b> C are disposed across the front side stepped portion 37. That is, the fixing boss portion 36B is positioned in front of the front side step portion 37, while the remaining fixing boss portions 36A and 36C are disposed rearward of the front side step portion 37.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the front step portion 37 and the rear step portion 38 are formed on the bottom wall 35 of the second housing 31, so that the bottom wall 35 of the second housing 31 is formed. The rigidity of the second casing 31 can be improved. In particular, a step 37 (front step) extending in a predetermined direction across the area is formed in the area of the bottom wall 35 where the optical disk device 40 is fixed, so that the optical disk of the bottom wall 37 against the action of external force is formed. The rigidity of the region where the device 40 is fixed can be improved.

  Moreover, since the optical disc device 40 is fixed to the bottom wall 35 of the second housing 31 by the three fixing portions 46A, 46B, and 46C disposed across the front stepped portion 37, the optical disc on the bottom wall 35 is fixed. Even when an external force is applied to the region where the device 40 is fixed, the optical disc device 40 can be kept in a more stable fixed state. Thereby, it is possible to greatly contribute to maintaining the required operation accuracy of the optical disc device 40 including the optical axis accuracy and movement accuracy of the optical pickup 42.

Further, since the extending direction Ls of the front side stepped portion 37 intersects the moving direction Lp of the optical pickup 42 of the optical disc device 40, the extending direction of the front side stepped portion 37 on the bottom wall 35 to which the optical disc device 40 is fixed. Even when a bending load centered on Ls is applied, it affects the accuracy of the movement operation of the optical pickup 42 as compared with the case where the extending direction Ls of the front side step portion 37 and the movement direction Lp of the optical pickup 42 are parallel. The impact can be reduced.
As described above, the optical pickup 42 moves in the radial direction in the vicinity of the information layer included in the optical disc along the pair of guide rails 43g. However, the extending direction Lp of the guide rail 43g intersects the front stepped portion 37. Accordingly, the above-described parallelism maintaining effect can be exhibited more remarkably by using the corner portion of the stepped portion 37 having the highest resistance to mechanical deformation.

  Further, as described above, the input of an external load (specifically, impact load) due to the drop of the notebook computer W or the like is in the non-operating state (that is, the optical pickup 42 is in the standby position) rather than the operating state. In this embodiment, the standby position of the optical pickup 42 is set at a stepped-up portion 35s formed between the front and rear step portions 37 and 38.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the stepped portions 37 and 38 are separated from the bottom wall 35 of the second housing 31 where the external load due to the fall of the notebook computer W or the like is more likely to be directly input. In addition, since the standby position of the optical pickup 42 is set at the stepped-up portion 35s, the rigidity of which is increased by providing the stepped portions 37 and 38, the external load due to the laptop PC W falling or the like in the non-operating state. Even when the input is received, the adverse effect on the optical pickup 42 can be effectively reduced. The rigidity improving effect due to the provision of the front side step portion 37 is particularly greater as it is closer to the corner portion of the step portion 37 in the stepped-up portion 35 s. More preferably, the standby position of the optical pickup 37 is set to the corner portion of the front step portion 37. The closer it is set to, the more effectively the adverse effect of external load input to the notebook personal computer W due to dropping or the like on the optical pickup 42 can be reduced.

  Further, as described above, the spindle motor 44 is the heaviest among the main components of the optical disk apparatus 40. For example, the optical disk apparatus 40 is subjected to an external load (specifically, an impact load) due to a drop of the notebook personal computer W or the like. When the spindle motor 44 receives this external load, it can be considered that the operation of the optical disc apparatus 40 is greatly adversely affected by the external load. The side step portions 37 and 38 are fixed to a stepped portion 35s formed between them.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the stepped portions 37 and 38 are separated from the bottom wall 35 of the second housing 31 where the external load due to the fall of the notebook computer W or the like is more likely to be directly input. In addition, since the spindle motor 44 is fixed to the stepped-up portion 35s whose rigidity is enhanced by providing the stepped portions 37 and 38, when the spindle motor 44 receives an external load due to the fall of the notebook computer W or the like. The adverse effect on the operation of the optical disk device 40 can be effectively reduced. The rigidity improving effect by providing the front side step portion 37 is particularly large as it is closer to the corner portion of the step portion 37 in the stepped-up portion 35 s. More preferably, the fixing position of the spindle motor 44 is set at the corner portion of the front step portion 37. The closer it is set to, the more effectively the adverse effect of external load input to the notebook personal computer W due to dropping or the like on the optical disk device 40 can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the bottom wall corresponds to the stepped portion 35 s formed by stepping up the bottom wall 35 by providing the front stepped portion 37 and the rear stepped portion 38 that are substantially parallel to each other. A recess 39 is formed on the outer surface of 35. By effectively using this recess 39, a PC card mounting portion 60 for detachably mounting a PC card can be provided, so that the notebook personal computer W can be made compact. Can also contribute. That is, the rigidity of the bottom wall 35 of the second housing 31 can be improved by using the step portions 37 and 38 formed by providing the PC card mounting portion 60.

  More specifically, the front step portion 37 and the rear step portion 38 extend on the bottom wall 35 in a direction orthogonal to the side surface 31 s of the second housing 31, and guide rails of the moving mechanism 43 of the optical disc device 40. 43g is inclined (for example, 45 °) with respect to the extending direction of the stepped portions 37 and 38, so that the impact resistance of the optical disc device 40 and the PC card mounting portion 60 can be improved. 40 and the PC card mounting portion 60 are arranged on the front and back via the bottom wall 35, so that both can be fixed to the bottom wall 35. In addition to improving the impact resistance, both 40, Compactness can also be achieved when 60 is provided.

  As can be clearly seen from FIG. 6 and the like, the exclusive area occupied by the optical disk device 40 in the bottom wall portion 35 is much larger than the exclusive area of the PC card mounting portion 60. When the optical disk device 40 and the PC card mounting portion 60 are arranged on the front and back of the bottom wall portion 35 of the second housing 31, the step portions 37 and 38 are utilized by utilizing the smaller exclusive area of the PC card mounting portion 60. It can also be said that the impact resistance is improved by providing the step portions 37 and 38.

  In the above description, in order to arrange the PC card mounting portion 60, the configuration is provided with a flat surface that forms the recess 39 on the outer surface of the bottom wall 35. However, the mechanical strength of the bottom wall 35 that fixes the optical disc device 40 is described. For example, there is no problem even if the bottom wall 35 is curved at the locations where the bosses 36A and 36C are implanted.

  As described above (see, for example, FIG. 5), a so-called PC card as a card-like external expansion device is detachably mounted from the side surface 31 s of the second housing 31 on the substantially middle bottom in the front-rear direction of the notebook computer W. A PC card mounting section 60 is provided, and the outer side (back side) of the mounting section 60 is covered with a resin cover body 70, for example.

Hereinafter, the PC card mounting unit 60 will be described.
10 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the PC card mounting portion 60 of the notebook computer W, FIG. 11 is an enlarged bottom view showing the PC card mounting portion 60, and FIG. 12 is taken along the line Y12-Y12 in FIG. FIG. 13 is a side view of the second housing 31 showing the slot opening of the PC card mounting portion 60 in an enlarged manner.

  As shown in these drawings, in the second housing 31, the above-mentioned recess 39 is recessed in a part of the back surface 31b continuous to the side surface 31s and is depressed by a predetermined amount from the back surface 31b, as can be seen from FIG. The card slot 61 of the PC card mounting portion 60 is accommodated in the recess 39. The card slot 61 is manufactured by punching and bending a metal plate having a predetermined thickness, and the left and right outer surfaces corresponding to the left and right side portions of the PC card K to be mounted (see FIG. 11) are recessed. It is accommodated in the recess 39 so as to be close to at least a part of the vertical wall 39w of the location 39. The depth of the recess of the recess 39 is set to a depth that can accommodate the card slot 61.

  In the present embodiment, the PC card K is provided with a communication module Km, for example, for a communication function with the outside, and the side surface 31s of the second housing 31 is displayed with a one-dot chain line in FIG. The communication module Km protrudes from the side surface 31 s of the second housing 31 in a state where the communication module Km is mounted in the PC card mounting unit 60.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 10 and 11, on the side relatively close to the second housing side surface 31 s of the card slot 61, fixing protrusions 62 and 63 for fixing the card slot 61 in the recess 39. The fixing protrusion 62 on one side (left side in FIG. 11) is formed on the fixing boss 56 formed integrally with the vertical wall 39w and the bottom wall 39b of the recess 39. It is fastened and fixed using. The other fixing projection 63 (on the right side in FIG. 11) extends toward the bottom wall 39b of the recess 39 with the ejector member 64 sandwiched between the outer surface of the card slot 61, It is bent in parallel with the bottom wall 39b and is fastened and fixed directly on the bottom wall 39b using a screw member N2.

  Further, on the side closer to the second housing side surface 31s than the fixing projections 62 and 63 of the card slot 61, boss-like fixing portions 57A and 57B for fixing the cover body 70 in the recess 39 are provided. Each of the recesses 39 is formed integrally with the vertical wall 39w and the bottom wall 39b. 11A and 11B, the left boss-shaped fixing portion 57A is substantially in contact with the left outer surface of the card slot 61, and the right boss-shaped fixing portion 57B is in close contact with the right outer surface of the card slot 61. It is close to the ejector member 64 extending along the direction.

  When an impact force is applied from the right side in FIGS. 11 and 12 to the portion Km protruding from the side surface 31s of the second housing 31 in a state where the PC card K is inserted into the card slot 61, the impact force is: If it is larger than a certain level, not only the card slot 61 and its fixing projections 62 and 63 but also a part of the vertical wall 39w of the recess 39 close to the left outer surface of the card slot 61 (specifically, Is also supported by the left boss-like fixing portion 57A) in FIGS. Further, when an impact force is applied from the left side in FIG. 11, when the impact force is larger than a certain level, not only the card slot 61 and its fixing projections 62 and 63 but also the right side of the card slot 61. A part of the vertical wall 39w of the recess 39 adjacent to the outer side surface (specifically, the ejector member 64 in close contact with the right outer side surface) (specifically, the right boss-like fixing in FIGS. 11 and 12) Part 57B).

  Furthermore, a pair of left and right fixing portions 57C and 57D for fixing the cover body 70 in the recess 39 is provided on the side farther from the second housing side surface 31s than the boss-like fixing portions 57A and 57B. . The cover body 70 is integrally provided with a shutter 71 having a slot opening for attaching and detaching the PC card K corresponding to the opening of the recess 39 to the housing side surface 31s.

Then, the cover body 70 is disposed on the back side of the card slot 61, positioned with respect to each of the boss-like fixing portions 57A to 57D, and then screwed with a screw member 75 (see FIGS. 12 and 5), thereby being made of resin. A cover body 70 covers the back side of the card slot 61 and is fixed to the recess 39. A screw member 75 is applied to the boss-shaped fixing portions 57C and 57D on the side far from the second housing side surface 31s through a hole provided in the vicinity of the connector portion 60c of the PC card mounting portion 60. It is fixed.
The cover body 70 is substantially flush with the back surface of the bottom wall portion 35 of the second housing 31 in a fixed state where the back surface side of the card slot 61 is covered.

  As described above, the recess 39 is formed integrally with the second housing 31, and the four boss-like fixing portions 57 </ b> A to 57 </ b> D, the card slot 61, and the cover body 70 erected in the recess 39 are screwed together. Therefore, the impact resistance is remarkably enhanced.

  As described above, the card slot 61 of the PC card mounting portion 60 has the left and right outer surfaces corresponding to the left and right side portions of the PC card K to be mounted with the mounting portion 60 of the second casing 31. It is fixed to the recess 39 while being accommodated in the recess 39 so as to be close to at least a part of the vertical wall 39w of the recess 39 formed in a part of the back surface 31b continuous with the side surface 31s. Yes.

  Therefore, when the PC card K is used in a state of protruding from the second casing 31, even if an impact force is applied from the side to the portion Km protruding from the second casing 31, the impact force is certain. If it is larger than about, not only the card slot 61 and its fixing projections 62 and 63 but also a part of the vertical wall 39w of the recess 39 close to the left and right outer surfaces of the card slot 61 (specifically, The left and right boss-shaped fixing portions 57A and 57B in FIGS.

  As a result, the card slot 61 and its fixing protrusions 62 and 63 can be deformed and the impact force input to the card slot 61 is all applied to the card slot 61 and its fixing portion. Damage can be effectively suppressed. Further, since the card slot 61 is fixed to the recess 39 that constitutes a part of the second casing 31 of the notebook computer W, the card slot 61 is conventionally fixed to a substrate that is not so strong (see FIG. 14). Compared to the above, since the fixing strength can be increased, deformation and damage generation of the fixing protrusions 62 and 63 can be more effectively suppressed.

  In addition, since the cover body 70 having the shutter 71 with the slot opening for attaching / detaching the PC card K is also fixed to the recess 39 constituting a part of the second housing 31, the second housing 31 of the PC card K is used. When an impact force is applied from the side to the portion Km protruding from the side surface 31s, deformation and damage can be suppressed also in the slot opening for attachment / detachment of the shutter 71 portion. In addition, the card slot 61 of the PC card mounting portion 60 has the one side fixed to the recess 39 constituting a part of the second housing 31 and the back side also fixed to the recess 39. By being covered with 70, the fixing strength can be further increased.

  The above description has been made with a notebook personal computer as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to such a case, and an optical disk device is built in or a card-like external extension such as a PC card is further provided. The present invention can also be effectively applied to other various information processing apparatuses including a device mounting portion.

  Thus, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various changes and design improvements can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Yes.

  The present invention can be effectively used as an arrangement structure of an optical disk device in an information processing apparatus such as a notebook personal computer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 1st housing | casing 31 2nd housing | casing 31s Side surface (of 2nd housing | casing) 35 Bottom wall part (of 2nd housing | casing) 35s Raised part 36A-36C Fixing boss | hub part 37 Front side step part 38 Back side step part 39 recess 39w vertical wall of recess 40 optical disk device 41 turntable 42 optical pickup 43 moving mechanism 44 spindle motor 45 base plate 46A-46C (base plate) fixing portion 57A-57D boss-like fixing portion 60 PC card mounting portion 61 Card slot 70 Cover body 71 Shutter K PC card Lp Optical pickup moving direction Ls Step extending direction W Notebook PC

Claims (7)

Optical disc apparatus comprising: a turntable that rotatably supports an optical disc; an optical pickup that records and / or reproduces an information signal with respect to the optical disc; and a moving mechanism that moves the optical pickup in a radial direction of the optical disc. Is an information processing apparatus provided inside the housing,
A stepped portion extending in a predetermined direction is formed in a region of the inner surface of the housing where the optical disk device is fixed,
The optical disc device is fixed to the region on the inner surface of the housing at three positions arranged across the stepped portion.
An information processing apparatus characterized by that.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an extending direction of the stepped portion intersects a moving direction of the optical pickup.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a standby position of the optical pickup is set at a stepped up portion by the stepped portion.   4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a spindle motor that rotationally drives the turntable is fixed to a stepped portion formed by the stepped portion. 5. Another stepped portion extending in a direction substantially parallel to the stepped portion is formed on the inner surface of the housing,
A mounting portion for detachably mounting a card-like external expansion device is provided in a recess on the outer surface of the casing formed by raising both steps.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. The recess has an opening on a side surface of the housing, and has a thickness capable of accommodating a card slot into which the external expansion device is inserted.
The card slot is accommodated in the recess so that the left and right outer surfaces corresponding to the left and right sides of the mounted card-like external expansion device are close to at least a part of the vertical wall of the recess. Fixed in the recess,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.   On the back side of the card slot, a cover body is provided that has a shutter for opening and closing the slot of the card-like external expansion device corresponding to the opening to the side surface of the housing of the recess and covers the back side of the mounting portion. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cover body is also fixed to the recess.

Images